Those skilled in the art will recognize that when cooling air to temperatures below freezing, the surfaces of a refrigeration device which may include refrigerant fins and tubes, unavoidably accumulate frost which then must be periodically removed during a defrosting cycle. The defrosting cycle or process is inherently necessary, but some aspects of it is undesirable inasmuch as the defrosting cycle increases the overall refrigeration system power consumption by adding heat to the refrigerated space, and which subsequently must be removed by the refrigeration device or system after the defrosting cycle has been completed.
In an effort to capture this heat which is generated during the defrosting cycle or process, and which is typically lost to the refrigerated space, heretofore, fixed rigid, return air hoods have been mounted on the air entering or air intake side of the refrigeration device. The addition of these rigid defrost hoods has proven to be effective and serves a multitude of purposes including, but not limited to, reducing the amount of defrost heat lost to the refrigerated space; increasing the effectiveness of the defrosting process or cycle; and reducing the duration or elapsed time of the defrosting cycle. One of the detrimental features of employing such rigid, return air hoods is that such refrigeration devices having such prior art assemblies have larger, overall, outside dimensions. These larger outside dimensions of the prior art refrigeration devices often significantly increases the shipping, and freight costs, and also further complicates and renders difficult the handling and rigging of the refrigeration devices when they arrive at their destination and are ready to be installed in their desired location. An air hood design which avoids the detriments associated with the previous prior art practices which have been utilized, heretofore, is the subject matter of the present patent application.